Warbird Information Exchange

NP F4U-5N/L Folks:

We are looking for a special Corsair photo of F4U-5N Buno 124715 with code NP #30 who suffered a T/O accident at Moffett Field, Calif, c. 4 Sept '53. The pilot of that particular sortie was Lt. Smale, Milton L. of unit VC-3.

The photo enclosed for illustration purposes only, shows F4U-5NL Buno 123187 NP #14 flying over Santa Clara, Calif c.1950s with the poss Navy NP Sq scheme of Buno 124715 of that time. Photo via Navy Archives. Any info about the Lt. Smale, Milton L.. will be appreciated!

Tks for the time & atention for this poss find!!

You should contact Bill Stubkjaer, curator at the Moffett Field Museum <moffettmuseum@sbcglobal.net>, website www.moffettfieldmuseum.org, open Weds through Sat 10-2. Send the email so he has it when it gets in. If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, they have the Navy base's photo files at the museum.

and

Craig Fuller at www.aviationarchaeology.com for a copy of the crash report if you don't have it already.

Let us know what you find out.
Nick

Nick:

Good day!'

Excellent info and POC at Moffett Field. For what I read it was a very busy place during the Korean conflict and afterwards! Will send the email tonight! Tks

F4U-5N NAVY "NP" tail code folks:

The search for the elusive BW of F4U-5N Buno 124715 with tail code "NP"..#30 has taken us to Moffett Field, Calif c. 1950s, to NAVY VC-4 (Tail code NA) of Atlantic City, NAS & Quonset Point NAS, RI c. 1954.

The enclosed picture of poss Buno 124713, F4U-5N NP #6 was taken at USS Princeton c. 1950s during the Korean Conflict. No whereabouts yet on Buno 124714 or Buno 124716.Photo NARA.



p.s We have located a pic so far of F4U-5N Buno 124536 with the "NP" #27, the highest number of the F4U-5N series seen so far.

The history of F4U-5N 124715 is as follows

Accepted on charge 23/7/51
Recieved by Overhaul and Repair Buaer M&S, Jacksonville, 27/7/51
To VC-4, Atlantic City, 16/1/52
To VC-4 Det 4, aboard Salerno Bay, 23/2/52
To VC-4, Atlantic City, 26/3/52
To VC-4 Det 41, Quonset Point, 10/5/52
Aboard BH Richard, 14/5/52
Accident, 14/9/52
To FASRON 11, Japan, 2/10/52
To FASRON 691, San Diego, 12/11/52
To O&R San Diego, 18/11/52
To O&R Norfolk, 15/1/53
To O&R Quonset Point, 26/2/53
To O&R San Diego, 2/7/53
To VC-3, Moffett Field, 5/8/53
To VC-4, Atlantic City, 1/2/55
To O&R Quonset Point, 10/3/55
Into Litchfield Park, storage facility, 9/4/55
Struck off charge there, 28/12/55 with a total time of 693 hours

Sid:

Thank you for the info/data for the time-line of FAH 609/ Buno 124715!

It left the Litchfield Park NAS on 27 March 1956 along with 6 other F4U-5Ns towards Kelly AFB, Veracruz Mexico & then Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We'll find out with the accident report about the current P/W engine S/N and props numbers to see if they match.

Info on Smale from Ancestry.com:

Name: Milton Smale
SSN: 557-40-8057
Last Residence: 93306 Bakersfield, Kern, California, United States of America
Born: 15 May 1931
Last Benefit: 93306 Bakersfield, Kern, California, United States of America
Died: May 1986
State (Year) SSN issued: California (Before 1951)

A January 1952 newspaper article had him graduating from U.S. Navy preflight school at that time. He moved on to primary flight training at NAAS Whiting Field, FL.

_________________
Cheers,

Craig

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Craig59:

Good day!

Tks for the info & data on ENS Smale. (RIP). The wingman of that mission was ENS W.K Kershner. Tks

..and the search cont!!

F4U-5N NP Folks:

Good day!

Found a few shots of the Navy F4U-5Ns with USS Valley Forge & USS Boxer.

This one, is a close up look of the APS -19A radar of Buno 121915 when it landed on the wrong carrier. Korea c. 1950s. The crewman is poss W.P. Hill Photo via Patriotgr. Tks

Pete:

F4U-5N Buno 123168/FAH 603 (Center a/c) out to pasture at he FAH boneyard c. 1977. Photo T.R.

p.s Bottom L/Wing reads "NP 8" poss VC-3 aircraft.

F4U-5N Folks:

Vought F4U-5N Buno 121212 NP#3 somewhere in Korean Waters. c. 1950s. Crewman poss Hayes. Photo via Patriotgr. Tks

F4U-5N Folks:

Good day!

Vought F4U-5N Buno ukn for now NP #18 in Korean waters c. 1950s. Either USS Boxer or USS Valley Forge carriers. Crew members ukn for now. Photo Patriotgr. Tks

F4U-5N Folks:

Good Day!

Found a few more F4U-5Ns with the NP code at Moffett Field c. 1953. Probably brand new to Moffett Field since they're shown w/o cowling/fuselage id numbers. I'm prety sure the elusive Buno 124715/FAH 609 is somewhere in the picture.Photo Courtesy Moffett Museum folks. Tks.

p.s If anyone has other angles of this Moffett flightline with the F4U-5Ns showing Bunos plz post them.

Vought F4U-5NL Buno 124559 NP ? somewhere in Korean Waters. c.1950s. This particular sample C/N 507 ended-up with Naval Argentina c. 1957 as # 3-C-9. It was later scrapped c. 1960s. The R/side of the cockpit reads " Lt. Jg XX Carter". Photo National Archives.

Vought F4U-5N Buno 124553 NP # ? on board USS Phillipine c. 1950s. Photo National Archives.